The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has granted people up and down the land occasion to truly celebrate. The chance of a four-day weekend has given to many a welcome sense of release. Jubilee has a lengthy history and derives from the Hebrew word meaning: “a ram’s horn”. The horn would get blown to announce the 50th year. Every seventh year was a Sabbath year when the land was allowed to rest. After seven of these, God implemented an even more special year, the Jubilee which provided a complete resetting of the economic system. Slaves would go free, land would be returned to its original owners and the best bit – all debts got cancelled!
As Jesus started his ministry he described it as the Ultimate Jubilee by quoting from Isaiah 61 where it acquires the descriptive title, “the year of the Lord’s favour”:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4 verses 18-19
The passage goes on very innocently saying “Then he rolled up the scroll…”. What might not be obvious is that he stopped deliberately mid-sentence. He sheared off the unpleasant alternative: “and the day of vengeance of our God”. Getting released from economic hardship is wonderful. Getting released from spiritual bankruptcy invites the greatest jubilation. Jesus invites you to partake of his Galilee Jubilee, inaugurated through his life and death on the cross. He stopped mid-sentence so that you might have no sentence of judgment. Let’s all be partakers, then, of this Special Jubilee.